Maytwayashing a quiet, needed presence for BU

The Brandon University Bobcats are just four games into the regular season but have a chance to match their win total of the past six years combined this weekend as they host the Calgary Dinos today and Saturday at the Healthy Living Centre.

A perennial rebuild has started establishing a new identity, and with it has come quite the highlight reel. From Piper Ingalls and Macaya Copeland lighting it up from three-point range to Amaya McLeod literally stealing a win at Lethbridge in the dying seconds, there’s a newfound energy with this women’s basketball team.

Not to be lost in BU’s 3-1 start to the Canada West season is Jayna Maytwayashing’s quiet but impactful breakout.

The third-year forward from Winnipeg recorded back-to-back double-doubles on opening weekend, then didn’t score much but played a pivotal role on the defensive end as Brandon held Lethbridge to 65 points after giving up 84 a night earlier to take its only loss of the campaign.

“Just doing those little things is what’s helping my team. I may not have a big role in terms of scoring, but defensive-wise, getting rebounds, hitting shots when I need to hit them, that’s my role, and I’m just confident in it,” Maytwayashing said, adding that BU’s progression from 2023 to now has been great to be part of.

“It’s so fun, and it’s so exciting to see how they’ve grown, see how our team has grown, even with new players.

“It makes us more excited to want to keep going and keep playing.”

While the regular season couldn’t have started much better, Maytwayashing’s summer and pre-season was far from perfect. She contracted a stomach infection and was unable to train much for July, August, and part of September.

She had to ease back in, but while she may have started slow, head coach Ilarion Bonhomme said she has made up for lost time.

“She’s just getting back to herself and getting up to that next level. I have faith in her. I kind of joked with her, I was like, “I kind of envisioned you being this kind of player, I didn’t know it would happen this fast,’” Bonhomme said.

“If I went back and watched all the game tapes, I’m pretty sure she’s leading Canada West in blocks, but that’s a whole other story. The way she can read offensive players, the right spot, and the right time, it’s impressive.”

“Not being able to play the sport I love for a couple of months made my drive even stronger,” Maytwayashing added.

“With our new team and team dynamic, I really wanted to be part of it, and sitting on the sidelines was really hard. When I had the opportunity to jump back into the game, I gave it my all.”

That has translated into a few key statistics. Maytwayashing is leading Canada West with 9.8 rebounds per game and sits second in field-goal percentage at 63.2.

She doesn’t have to score much, with Canada West leader Copeland in her backcourt, averaging 22.3 points per game and Ingalls adding 17. If Maytwayashing can limit opponents’ second-chance opportunities, something BU has historically struggled with, it could be the difference in more close games.

“I finally found my groove and found what I’m supposed to do,” Maytwayashing said. “I’m so much more confident. My teammates, my coach have just instilled so much confidence in me.

“I’m excited to get out there and just do what I can.”

Of course, this is Brandon’s toughest weekend yet, taking on a Calgary squad that finished 16-4 in each of the past two seasons. The Dinos swept the Lethbridge Pronghorns on opening weekend before an early bye week.

“They’re one of the Canadian blue bloods,” Bonhomme said. “They’re just a veteran group, so they rely on their top eight, all fourth- or fifth-year players and then one third-year kid. They’ve been through the gauntlet before, they’ve played at the highest level, and they’ve been in the U Sports Final 8.

“There’s not too much we can throw at them that they ain’t seen, but maybe if we can compete, play as hard as we can, we’ll see what happens … They’re super talented of course, but our group, we’re talented too.”

Last time the U of C visited BU, it wasn’t pretty for the Bobcats. That national contending Dinos squad full-court pressed most of the way on back-to-back nights, winning 107-43 and 106-31.

Maytwayashing hasn’t forgotten that feeling. She and her teammates will channel it into their effort this weekend with a lot to prove to not just the Dinos but the country. “It’s going to be really good for us just to show how far we’ve come, that we’re not the same team we were two years ago,” Maytwayashing said, “so I’m really looking forward to that.”

The women begin at 6 p.m., with the men following at 8 o’clock.

The Bobcat men (2-2) are taking on the defending Canada West champion Dinos (2-0), who are figuring out life after national player of the year Nate Petrone. They eked out a pair of wins over the Pronghorns, including an 83-80 victory in which their starters combined for just 20 points while Mrigendra Dhaliwal scored 37 off the bench.

The teams meet again on Saturday at 5 p.m. (women) and 7 o’clock (men).

The BU volleyball teams visit the Saskatchewan Huskies today and Saturday.

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